Thill-coupling



(No Model.)

0. F. BUCHANAN.

THILL COUPLING.

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FF CEe CHARLES FREDERICK BUCHANAN, OF ALPENA, MICHIGAN.

THILL-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,874, dated September 10, 1895.

Ap lication filed May 9, 1895. Serial No. N mod l-l T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES FREDERICK BUCHANAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alpena, in the county of Alpena and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in a Combined Thill-Coupling and Antirattler; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a combined thilL coupler and antirattler; and it has for its object to improve such devices by simplifying the construction, cheapening the cost of production, and rendering the parts more effective and less liable to get out of order.

The invention and its many advantages will appear from the following description and claim, when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved device, showing the same applied to a section of an axle and a part of a thill. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view of the same, illustrating a part of the thill-iron in elevation and partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the dotted line y g on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a sectional View taken at the point indicated by the dotted line 0050 on Fig. 2.'

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the hinged cover removed, and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the antirattler-spring.

Referring by letter to said drawings, A indicates a clip, which is mainly of the construction ordinarily employed, and is secured to the axle B by means of a plate a and nuts b or other suitable fastening devices. This clip is provided on its forward side with two horizontal parallel arms 0, and at the inner end of the arms and on the upper side thereof are two lug-journals d, for a purpose which will presently appear. The arms a are provided on their upper sides and near their outer ends with curvilinear recesses e, which are designed to receive and seat the journal ends f of the thill-iron C.

D indicates a cover. This cover,- which is perforated ears g at its inner end and at or near opposite sides, which are designed toregister with the lug-eyes in the journals d and receivea pintle or hinge-rod h. This cover is shaped on its under side so as to snugly bear upon the upper sides or edges of the arms 0-, and said cover is also provided on its forward under side with curvilinear recesses c', which recesses, together with the curvilinear recesses in the arms 0, form full journal-bearings for the thill-iron.

E indicatesacatch, which maybe composed of a piece of flat spring metal secured on the outer side of one of the arms a, as shown, and provided at its upper end with a shoulder j, designed to snap over the cover D, as better shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings,and in order to facilitate the action of this catch the same may be beveled at its extreme upper end, as shown at It, so that when the cover is letdown it will force the catch laterally until said cover has been seated upon the journals of the thilliron, when the catch will spring into a locked position.

F indicates the antirattler, which comprises a spring, as better shown in Fig. 6 of the drawings. This spring is bent at a suitable point in its length, so as to form a long branch Z, which is curved slightly upward at its free end, as shown at m, and is designed to exert an upward pressure on the thill-iron. The short branch or of this antirattler is slotted, as shown at 19, so as to form two branches q, and these branches are designed to bear against the under side of the cover D when the latter has been let down. The spring is provided with a hole 7', and the clip is pro vided With a screw-tapped aperture 8 to receive a screw or the like by which said spring is secured in position. It will thus be seen that the antirattler prevents rattling of both thill-iron and cover D.

In removing the thill it is simply necessary to press laterally the upper end of the catch E, when the forked or slotted branch of the spring F will lift the cover D, thereby allowing the thill-iron to be removed from its bearings. In placing the thill the iron is seated in its bearings of the arms 0, when by letting the cap or cover down with sufficient force it will press the spring F so as to keep the cover under tension, and the catch E will engage the upper side of said cover and securely hold the same to its seat.

By this construction it will be seen that I have a very simple and durable device. There is nothing about it to become lost or disconnected and the spring will serve very effectively, both as an antirattler for the thill and a means of insuring an efiective holding of the cover.

Having described my invention, what I claim is- In a thill coupling, the clip adapted to be secured to an axle and having the parallel arms 0, provided with bearings and lug journals d, a thill iron having journal ends f, arranged in the bearings of arms 0, the cover D, adapted to bear upon and hold the thill iron in position and having perforated ears 9, a hinge rod taking through and connecting the lug journals d, and ears g, the spring catch E, secured to one of the arms 0, and having its upper end beveled and also having a shoulder adapted to retain the cover D, upon the thill iron, and the anti-rattler spring F, secured at an intermediate point of its length to the clip and having the long branch Z, bearing against the under side of the thill iron and a short branch n, bearing against the under side of the cover D, at a point in advance of the pivot point of the same whereby when said cover is released from the catch E, it will be forced upwardly to permit of a ready removal of the thill iron, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES FREDERICK BUCHANAN.

Witnesses:

ORLANDO L. PARTRIDGE, JOHN DAVIS. 

